Elliot Mazer's resume reads like a small army of overachievers. Grammy-award-winning Record Producer, Studio Owner, Recording Engineer, Inventor, Professor, and more, Elliot has worked with some of our best-known recording artists including Janis Joplin, Santana, Sinatra, The Who, and most famously Neil Young. He has also been involved in the developmental phases of the digital technologies of our time including work at Stanford University’s Computer Center for Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA), building what is regarded as the first all-digital recording studio, and more recently working with the Warner Music Group on their Archive Project, and consulting to OraStream and Pono. Elliot was kind enough to take time away from his busy schedule to answer some questions for AudioStream for which I am very appreciative. Thank you Elliot.

Gordon Rankin, the founder and designer of Wavelength Audio, is responsible for among other things the first consumer DAC to employ Asynchronous USB. You can find his Asynchronous USB Steamlength™ technology in a number of highly regarded DACs including his own Crimson, Cosecant, Brick, and Proton as well the Halide DAC HD, AudioQuest Dragonfly, Grace M903, Aesthetix USB products, Ayre DX-5, QA-9 and the Berkley Alpha USB. I'd like to thank Gordon for taking the time for this Q&A and I hope you enjoy this peak inside Wavelength Audio.

Ayre Acoustics makes a complete line of electronics including amplifiers, preamplifiers, integrated amplifiers, disc players, DACs, ADCs and more. Our focus today will be on their digital side and specifically look at issues that affect file-based playback. The idea for this Q&A came about from a series of email exchanges I had with Charlie Hansen, Ayre's Founder and Designer, related to my recent post which contained a list of NOS DACs. You'll see that we touch on this topic and it was my hope that we could come to a better understanding of some of the underlying issues involved in the D/A process in general which might lead to a better understanding of why a list of NOS DACs is about as useful a grouping as four-legged animals when looking for the ideal DAC or pet. I'd like to thank Charlie Hansen for his time and very informative and detailed answers.

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